DC Motor Example

DC Motor Example

This example shows how to control a DC Motor using an Arduino board and a Potentiometer. The motor speed will depend on the potentiometer status. The more you reduce the resistance in the potentiometer, the more the motor speed will be set, and viceversa.

Arduino boards are designed to let signals flow, so they can't handle high current values. To power the DC Motor you will to connect it need an external power supply. How can we limit the current flowing in the DC Motor? We'll use a NPN transistor as a variable resistance to set the motor speed.

Hardware Required

Arduino Board

DC Motor

Transistor

Potentiometer

1K Resistance

A bunch of wires

Circuit

Connect the Potentiometer VCC to 5V and the ground to GND. The signal PIN goes to Analog Input A0 of your Arduino board. The 9V coming from the battery needs to be separated from the 5V of your Arduino differently from the Ground, which needs to be in common. The transistor used is a BJT npn. Proceed connecting the transistor: connect the "Base" to a 1KOhm resistor and then to PIN 3; the "Collector"pin to the 9V of the battery and connect the "Emitter" directly into the motor. The remaining PIN of the DC Motor needs to be connected to the ground.

Schematic

Code

The sketch starts by setting the PIN 3 (the one used to control the transistor) to output mode. The loop function, each time, reads the value from the potentiometer PIN (D3). The value is then mapped in order to set the motor speed, through the transistor. Finally, it sets the Transistor PIN to the value mapped. The motor speed is now changed.